Madden Simulation: Can Cowboys dominate on Mile-High ground in Denver?

Last week, our simulation had the Cowboys defeating the Giants 41-30, in a shootout. The actual game turned out to be much less high-powered, but the Cowbys did come away victorious. This week, they face another tough test as they travel to Denver. The Broncos hung on to a win by the skin of their teeth after blocking a would be game-tying kick by the Chargers.

Last season, the Broncos’ krpytonite was teams who can run the football. They were the fourth-worst defense in the NFL in rushing yards allowed. The Cowboys exploited this facet in the simulation and will surely attempt to on Sunday as the Broncos’ secondary has not been to kind to young quarterbacks.

Both teams suffered some injuries during opening weekend, here’s who was inactive (for simulation purposes, we gave Terrance Williams and Ronald Leary the benefit of the doubt and had them active for the game):

Cowboys: Anthony Hitchens, Orlando Scandrick

Broncos: Paxton Lynch, Brandon Langley

Simulation recap

The Broncos opened up the game with momentum still in their favor from their Monday Night victory. They took the opening drive 75 yards for a touchdown…but, the Cowboys countered this blocking the extra point. Down six points, Dak Prescott connected with Jason Witten for a touchdown, taking the lead.

Despite the lopsided mismatch in running game, the Broncos had managed to ground the Cowboys’ strength — until the second-half. On the Cowboys’ first drive, Ezekiel Elliott put the Broncos’ defense on spin cycle, churning 74 yards in route to a touchdown.

Keenan Allen became just the eighth receiver to score on Chris Harris in coverage last week. Well, its time to add an X to that list as Dez Bryant scores on a curl route to put the Cowboys up by 12 points in the second-half.

With under three minutes left in the game, it was time for the Cowboys to deliver the proverbial dagger to walk out of Denver with a win. That dagger came in the form of a ’21’ as Elliott utilized the spin move once again to spring himself free to put the Cowboys up 31-12.